Universal joint



April 20 1926. 1,581,820

N. STRAUSSLER UNIVERSAL JOINT ea Jan. 24, 1924 Patented Apr. 20, 1926.

NICHOLAS STRAUSSLER, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

UNIVERSAL JOINT.

Application filed January 24, 1924. Serial No. 688,165.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NICHOLAS STRAUSSLER, a Rumanian subject, residing at. 32 St. Swi-thins Lane, in the county of London, England, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in or Relating to Universal Joints, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to universal joints for shafting, that is to say, joints which will transmit rotary motion from a driving shaft member to a driven shaft member when one of the said members is inclined at any angle to the other member in a horizontal, vertical, or intermediate plane, within certain limits, as well as when the two members are in axial alignment with each other.

-According to this invention the drive is transmitted by a number of resilient segments registering in opposite radial slots in-the two principal members of the joint. Each shaft member terminates in a cup comprising less than a hemisphere, and a ball or the like intermediate member fits into the recesses of thetwo opposing approximately hemispherical cups, the internal configuration of each cup being concentric with the ball. In the face or flange of. each cup are a number of-radial slots or saw-cuts which are also concentric with the ball, and a corresponding number of segments of spring metal or other material entering these cuts are placed across the ball from the face of one cup to the face of the opposite cup, these segments also being concentric so that their inner edges fit over the ball while their outer edges register in the peripheries of the cuts. A suitable cap is fitted over one cup and secured on enlargements or projecting parts outside the opposite cup to cover the gap between the two. cups and to enable lubricant to be retained within the structure. The saw-cuts which for example may be eight in number, producing sixteen radial slots in the face of each cup, can conveniently be made by successively advancing and withdrawing the cup against a circular saw having an operative circle of a diameter less than that of the sphere concentric with the ball of which sphere the cups form portions, and as the cuts extend into the material of the cups to a depth greater than the depth of the recess for the ball, the cup can be bored axially in relation to the shaft member and plugged in order to obviate any raggedness of the metal at the crossing point of the eight cuts. The plug which maybe in the formof a hollow sleeve, may also be hollowed or bevelled out at its free end to make contact with the ball, so as to ensure a circulation of lubricant past the bearing surfaces and to limit the movements in either direction of the segments. If desired one of the two plugs may be made integral with the ball.

Instead of the segments being placed singly in the slots, two segments may be placed side by side therein, forming in effect a laminatedsegment, the two halves of'which may be slightly dished, so as to present concave surfaces to each other. Thus wear in the slots will be automatically compensated by relative expansion of the laminated segments, avoiding the noise which might otherwise be produced by reason ofthe segments fitting loosely in the slots, especially when the cups are made of unhardened metal.

I If the cups are shaped by pressiugfthe slots can be, formed in the cups in .the same operation, instead of being saw-cuts as above described, but in order to allow of theuse of a pressing tool having its operative parts of sufiicient strength for this purpose, the

slots would, be made of a greater width than in the case of saw-cuts, a reduced number of slots being provided, and four or other suitable number of segments or lami-nations would be placed side by side in each opposing pair of slots.

The rotary drive is transmitted through the spring segments, and when .the shafts are not in alignment each segment is bent and rocked in one direction about the ball once in each half revolution, and is returned in the opposite direction during the next half revolution, this oscillation of the segments causing a pumping action on the lubricant, which is thus rapidly circulated when the shafts are in action at an angle with each other.

In order that the said invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect, the same will now be more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings in'which:

Figure 1 represents the joint in elevation with the upper part shown in vertical section. 7

Figure 2 is a sectional side elevation of one of the cups detached.

Flgure 3 s an elevation of the same cup viewed from the right hand side of the drawing Figure 2.

Figure A is an elevation of one of the segments detached.

Figure 5 shows the ball.

Figure 6 is a vertical section through the joint illustrating a modification.

Figure 7 shows a pair of oppositely dished segments.

A and B indicate respectively the two cupped members, C the .ball, D D the seg ments, E the cap, F F (Figure 8) the sawcuts in the flange of the member A. The cupped recess in the member A is indicated at a the axial bore therein at a and the plug in the said axial bore at G (Figure 2). This plug may be extended to make contact with-the ball C, as indicated in Figure 1. Alternatively as shown in Figure 6, the ball may have a sleeve or extension 9 registering in a shouldered recess a at the base of the cup A, and a corresponding sleeve 9 may be secured in a similar recess 6 in the op posite member B, the edge of this sleeve 9 being bevelled to fit the ball. In the construction shown at Figure 6, the ball is prevented froni rotating. Instead of the cups A and B being formed integrally with their shafts a b, they may be made separately and secured to their shafts in any convenient manner, Figure 6 illustrating a splined shaft 6*, and a shaft 60* having a tapered end a terminating in a screw-threaded portion a so that the shaft a which may also be keyed can be tightened in a tapered bore in the cup A by means of a nut (1 The cap E may be provided at its larger end with an internal screw thread 6 engaging a corresponding external screw thread a on an enlarged part a of the cup A. Accidental relative rotation between the parts E and A may be prevented by any suitable means, for example by a set screw 6 passing through the cap E and entering a threaded hole in the part a of the cup A, as shown in Figure 1, or by a locking spring e Figure 6, entering a notch in the edge of the cap E and adapted to be bent back to disengage the said notch when it is required to rotate the cap E. The smaller end of the cap which forms a spherical contact surface is provided internally with a bead, band or fillet 6, Figure 6, of resilient material in order that the cap may make a sufficiently tight joint with the back of the cup B to prevent the escape of lubricant without interfering with the rocking of the universal joint members in any direction.

By the use of this invention a universal joint is produced which presents a large bearing area for the transmission of the drive, that is, the combined area of all the segments at the parts thereof which engage the cups, the load being equally distributed among the segments, the flexibility of which gives torsional resiliency to the joint, and also a positive circulation of lubricant. In an ordinary universal joint with crossed pins, if the driving shaft is considered as rotating at a uniform speed, the angle of velocity of the driven shaft alters from a maximum to a minimum at each half revolution, the alterations being proportionate to the co-sine of the enclosed angle; but in a joint embodying this invention, the transmission would take place at a uniform speed, the driving and driven shaftsrevolving at identical angular velocities, and thus fatlgue of the metal and inertia stresses occasioned by continual variations in speed are avoided.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. In a universal joint, two opposing relatively movable members having each a plurality of radial slots therein and a plurality of resilient segments registering in said slots to transmit the drive, the said radial slots being arcuate at those parts of their boundaries which are remote from the oint center.

2. In a. universal joint, two opposing relatively movable members having each a plurality of radial slots therein and a plurality of resilient segments registering in said slots to transmit the drive, the said radial slots being arcuate at those parts of their boundaries which are remote from the joint center, and the said boundaries of the arcuate slots lying in a group which is spherically concentric with the center of the oint.

8. In a universal joint, two opposing relatively movable members having each a plurality of radial. slots therein, a plurality of resilient segments registering 'in said slots to transmit the drive, and an intermediate member having a surface concentric with the inner arcs of said segments to support said segments.

4-. In a universal joint, two opposing relatively movable members having each a plurality of radial slots therein, and a plurality of resilient metal segments registering in each pair of opposed slots to transmit the drive, the said radial slots being arcuate at those parts of their boundaries which are remote from the joint center.

5. In a universal joint, two opposing relatively movable members having each a plurality of radial slots therein, and two oppositely concave resilient metal segments registering in each pair of opposed slots to transmit the drive.

6. In a universal joint, two opposing cupped members each comprising less than a hemisphere and each having in its flange a plurality of radial slots, an intermediate member of mainly spherical configuration fitting into the cups of said cupped member, which cups and the said slots are concentric with the said intermediate member, and a plurality of concentric 1'c silie1 1t segments to transmit the drive, each of said segments registering in the slots of both cupped members.

7. In a universal joint, two opposing on 3 ed members each com risin less than b make contact with said ball, and a plural ity of concentric segments to transmit the drive, each of said segments registering in slots of both cupped members.

8. In a universal joint, two opposing cupped members each comprising less than a hemisphere and each having in its flange a plurality of radial slots, an intermediate member of mainly spherical configuration fitting into the cups of said cupped members, which cups and the said slots are concentric With the said intermediate member, a plurality of concentric segments to transmit 'the drive, each of said segments registering in slots of both cupped members, and a cap screw-threaded on one cupped memher and having a spherical contact surface fitting on the other cupped member.

9. In a universal joint, tWo opposing cupped members each comprising less than a hemisphere and each having in its flange a plurality of radial slots, an intermediate member of mainly spherical configuration fitting into the cups of said cupped members,

which cups and the said slots are concentric With the said intermediate member, a plurality of concentric segments to transmit the drive, each of said segments registering in slots of both cupped members, a cap screwthreaded on one of said cupped members and having a spherical contact surface fitting on the other cupped member, and a resilient fillet secured in the said spherical contact surface. I g

NICHOLAS STRAUSSLER. 

